One known application for radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is to track a mobile object, such as a shipping container. A device known as a “tag” is provided on the object to be tracked. The tag typically includes circuitry coupled to an antenna, and a battery to power the circuitry. The tag can transmit radio signals, and some tags can also receive radio signals.
During normal operation, communication with a tag is carried out using wireless signals. However, when programming or setting up a tag, it can be more efficient to communicate with the tag through wires, rather than through wireless signals. Accordingly, it is known to provide a docking station that is coupled to a computer through a cable. The tag is inserted into the docking station in order facilitate communication between the computer and the tag, without the use of wireless signals.
Where a customer has purchased a group of tags and a compatible docking station, the customer may wish to be able to use the docking station with newer-generation tags that may eventually be developed at a future time, so that the customer does not have to incur the expense of separately buying a new docking station for the newer-generation tags. On the other hand, design considerations that optimize the newer-generation tags may cause those tags to be physically and/or electrically incompatible with a pre-existing docking station.